BANGKOK (Thailand) - Lara Al Nakib and Joudy El Harake came up clutch to help Lebanon ward off Kazakhstan, 66-59, for an outright entry to the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2026-Division B Semi-Finals, Wednesday.
The two conspired to save themselves from a serious threat, combining for the young Cedars' last 6 points of the game for a strong finish after their CABA counterparts rallied back from down 60-47 with 2:25 remaining.
Their lead cut down to just five, 60-55, after Yerlan Shakida buried back-to-back triples, El Harake stopped the drought with a bucket from point-blank range to widen their lead back to seven points with 1:16 to go.
Then came Al Nakib with the final touches, first by going pperfect from the line about eight seconds later before scoring off a tough layup to make it a 66-55 spread with 36.9 seconds left, all but sealing the victory.
A member of the Lebanon team that came second in the U18 Div. B competitions in 2024, Al Nakib finished with a game-high 28 points, on top of 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks for an efficiency of 27.
El Harake delivered her best showing of the tournament so far with 16 points and 13 rebounds plus 5 steals. Elissa Abou Jaoude chipped in 6 points and 11 rebounds as the usual providers came through in the victory.
Thanks to their assertiveness in the endgame, the WABA representatives completed a 3-game sweep of Group B, clinching the top spot and in the process becoming the first team to reach the Final Four on Saturday.
Now, Coach Paul Coughter and his squad can get some respite while they await their opponents from the Qualification to Semi-Finals, which could either be Samoa or the team finishing at no. 2 in Group A.
The Kazakhs finished the Group Phase at 2nd in Group B with a 2-1 win-loss record after their comeback bid fell just short, and will have to take a longer path if they would want to qualify for the Semi-Finals.
Shakhida top-scored for Kazakhstan with 24 points behind 7 triples alongside 78 rebounds. Amina Sharipova made 14 points while Milana Krutevich supplied a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds in the defeat.
Samoa booked a trip to the Qualification to Semi-Finals after pulling off a pulsating 60-55 escape against the Cook Islands in a meeting between Oceania teams to secure the no. 3 spot in Group B (1-2).
Patileti Mikayla Auva'a led the way with 20 points, while Rykkah Mareta-Manu had 14 as the duo joined hands for the 9-0 finishing kick to help their team come back from down 55-51 with less than two minutes left.
FIBA